Ottawa police looks to increase Indigenous applicants with first dedicated recruitment forum

Liam Baker · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 12:05 PM EST | Last Updated: November 6

Calls for much Indigenous constabulary officers successful the nation’s superior were a cardinal absorption of the first-ever Indigenous Recruitment Forum by the Ottawa Police Service this week.

The two-day forum, which wrapped up Wednesday evening, included keynote speakers from First Nations constabulary services and erstwhile and aspiring constabulary officers.

“When we look astatine the past of Canada and Indigenous peoples with policing, and specifically residential schools and the RCMP taking Indigenous children distant to these schools, I judge these types of panels and events are highly important to assistance amusement determination is alteration happening,” said Bethany Stewart, a panelist who's successful the process to go an Ottawa constabulary officer.

Stewart, who is simply a subordinate of the Cree Nation of Wemindji, said she was inspired to use to go a constabulary officer, specifically astir quality trafficking, arsenic her commencement parent is among the galore missing and murdered Indigenous women successful Canada.

The forum came connected the heels of caller Assembly of First Nations (AFN) calls for the instauration of much First Nations constabulary services and for a nationalist enquiry into an accrued fig of deaths of Indigenous peoples portion successful constabulary custody successful 2024.

For the event, the OPS partnered with 4 Indigenous constabulary services: the Anishinabek Police Service, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, the Tyendinaga Police Service and the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service.

Need for much Indigenous constabulary services

Officers astatine the lawsuit discussed the request for much backing to Indigenous constabulary services wrong communities, according to OPS Supt. Jamie Dunlop, who is Métis and acted arsenic a keynote talker astatine the event.

“They are large constabulary officers with precise caring work and they request to person backing that’s connected par with immoderate different constabulary work successful this province,” Dunlop said.

In caller years, the OPS has made plans to code its ain policing of Indigenous people, announcing successful 2023 they were looking to make an Indigenous portion wrong their ranks. At the time, astir six per cent of members said they were Indigenous.

Ottawa's constabulary services committee heard implicit the summertime that Ottawa constabulary are moving to prosecute an Indigenous women's information advisor and Indigenous liaison officers.

Partnerships, similar those that led to Wednesday’s event, are important to improving perceptions that Indigenous radical wrong Ottawa whitethorn person of the city’s constabulary service, says Anishinabek Police Service Sgt. Chantal Larocque.

“This was an accidental for maine to contiguous our constabulary work … arsenic an option, but besides to assistance Ottawa constabulary who person the champion of intentions to repair that narration with Indigenous people,” Larocque said.

“If you tin amusement Indigenous radical that you’re moving with Indigenous constabulary services, it’s showing an intent to privation to alteration that legacy.”

Although the turnout of Indigenous radical astatine Wednesday’s lawsuit wasn’t arsenic precocious arsenic Dunlop had hoped, helium said helium hopes the lawsuit shows the greater request to recognize Indigenous civilization amongst his service's ranks.

Stewart said her household past of antagonistic constabulary interactions continues to thrust her tendency to go a constabulary officer.

“That’s a large crushed why, for me, it’s important to get Indigenous peoples wrong constabulary to assistance with those barriers that we’re facing.”